Jessica Simpson is back in the studio amid her separation from estranged husband Eric Johnson.
Simpson, 44, took to Instagram on Monday, December 16, to share a sultry photo of herself leaning back in a chair in a room filled with recording equipment. “I can’t wait for y’all to hear the soundtrack of my soul 
,” she told her 6 million followers in the caption.
Simpson wore a white satin top and skirt with a black jacket in the pic, pairing the look with black fishnet stockings that covered her waist. On her feet: Black platform cowboy boots that made her look like a Goth country singer. Simpson also flaunted a black statement necklace, a golden tan and kept her blonde hair long and teased on top. As for her face, she sported dramatic black eye makeup and a pink glossy lip.
It was Simpson’s first social media post since November, when she posted a series of smoldering shots and revealed that she was making new music again after a long hiatus.
Jessica Simpson Calls Musical Comeback an ‘Apology to Myself’
“Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic,” she wrote on Monday, November 11. “This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve 
.”
Simpson, who has hits like “I Wanna Love You Forever” and “I Think I’m In Love With You,” last released an album in 2010 with Happy Christmas. Starting last year, she began opening up about reclaiming her pop-star past.
“I’m doing this as a mother now, as a wife. I was a wife last time, but this is a very different marriage,” she told Bustle during a 2023 interview. “And they’ve never seen me do this.”
In April, Simpson uploaded a photo from a recording studio via X and seemingly hinted at her next endeavor. Her sister, Ashlee Simpson, confirmed exclusively to Us Weekly that Jessica was “in the studio.”
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson’s Relationship Timeline
Ashlee, who teased that she would also be releasing new music soon, told Us in June, “So look at us both coming in. … There’s more to come and you’ll hear from Jess soon.”
Since her last album, Simpson has focused on her family — which includes son Ace, 11, and daughters Maxwell, 12, and Birdie, 5, whom she shares with Johnson.
A source confirmed to Us in November that Simpson and Johnson, 45, were “living separately right now” after being spotted without their wedding rings.
A second insider revealed that the pair planned to spend the holidays as a family despite not being under the same roof.
Jessica Simpson, Eric Johnson ‘Trying to Figure Out a Separation’: Sources
“Jessica and Eric plan on being all together for the holidays with the kids,” the source told Us at the time. “It’s all about the kids and family. They don’t hate each other.”
Simpson and the former NFL player started dating in 2010 following their respective divorces from Nick Lachey and Keri D’Angelo. Johnson proposed to Simpson within six months, and they tied the knot in July 2014.
A third insider noted to Us that Simpson and Johnson were “trying to figure out a separation without disrupting their kids’ lives as much as possible.”
“They are both really committed to the wellbeing of the kids and trying to figure out what’s best for them,” the source added.
Inside Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson’s Holiday Plans Amid Separation
While neither Simpson nor Johnson has addressed their marital status, a fourth insider told Us that the singer “is heartbroken” and it wasn’t an “easy decision” to make.
Simpson, who was previously married to Lachey, 51, from 2002 to 2006, has previously been candid about her partnership with Johnson.
“In terms of my marriage to Eric, I have never felt more myself or more free,” Simpson exclusively told Us in February 2020. “Eric and I have a true mind, body [and] soul connection. Some of the things he loves most about me are my flaws. I am most certainly in this marriage and this life with Eric by my side with free will!”
